Helianthus plant named ‘Low Down’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Helianthus plant named ‘Low Down’, characterized by its compact and mounded plant habit; upright growth habit; freely basal branching habit and short internodes; dense and full plants; freely flowering habit; daisy-type inflorescences with bright yellow ray florets and dark brown disc florets; and good garden performance.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION

Helianthus salicifolius.

VARIETY DENOMINATION

‘Low Down’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofHelianthus plant, botanically known as Helianthus salicifolius andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Low Down’.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Massey, Auckland, New Zealand. The objective of thebreeding program is to create new Helianthus cultivars having compactplant habit and good garden performance.

The new Helianthus originated from a cross made by the Inventor in 1992,in Massey, Auckland, New Zealand, of the Helianthus cultivar GoldenPyramid, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with theHelianthus cultivar Autumn Glory, not patented, as the male, or pollen,parent. The new Helianthus was discovered and selected by the Inventoras a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross grownin a controlled environment in Massey, Auckland, New Zealand in 1992.The selection of this plant was based on its compact plant habit andgood garden performance.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in acontrolled environment in Massey, Auckland, New Zealand since 1993, hasshown that the unique features of this new Helianthus are stable andreproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Low Down has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, lightintensity, water status and fertilizer rate and type without, however,any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Low Down’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Low Down’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Compact and mounded plant habit.

2. Upright growth habit.

3. Freely basal branching habit and short internodes; dense and fullplants.

4. Freely flowering habit.

5. Daisy-type inflorescences with bright yellow ray florets and darkbrown disc florets.

6. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Helianthus can be compared to plants of the femaleparent, the cultivar Golden Pyramid. In side-by-side comparisonsconducted by the Inventor in Massey, Auckland, New Zealand, California,plants of the new Helianthus differ from plants of the cultivar GoldenPyramid in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Helianthus are more compact than plants of thecultivar Golden Pyramid.

2. Plants of the new Helianthus have a low mounded habit whereas plantsof the cultivar Golden Pyramid have a tall pyramidal habit.

3. Plants of the new Helianthus have shorter internodes than plants ofthe cultivar Golden Pyramid.

4. Plants of the new Helianthus have smaller inflorescences than plantsof the cultivar Golden Pyramid.

Plants of the new Helianthus can be compared to plants of the femaleparent, the cultivar Autumn Glory. In side-by-side comparisons conductedby the Inventor in Massey, Auckland, New Zealand, plants of the newHelianthus differ from plants of the cultivar Autumn Glory in thefollowing characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Helianthus are much more compact than plants of thecultivar Autumn Glory.

2. Plants of the new Helianthus have a low mounded habit whereas plantsof the cultivar Autumn Glory have tall columnar habit.

3. Plants of the new Helianthus have much shorter internodes than plantsof the cultivar Autumn Glory.

4. Plants of the new Helianthus have smaller inflorescences than plantsof the cultivar Autumn Glory.

Compared to plants of the cultivar First Light, disclosed in U.S. Plantpatent application Ser. No. 09/904,728, filed concurrently, plant of thenew Helianthus are shorter, have shorter leaves, and have smallerinflorescences.

Plants of the new Helianthus can be compared to plants of the cultivarTable Mountain, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted bythe Inventor in Massey, Auckland, New Zealand, plants of the newHelianthus differ from plants of the cultivar Table Mountain in thefollowing characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Helianthus have a low mounded habit whereas plantsof the cultivar Table Mountain have a flat-topped habit.

2. Plants of the new Helianthus are more compact than plants of thecultivar Table Mountain.

3. Plants of the new Helianthus have shorter internodes than plants ofthe cultivar Table Mountain.

4. Plants of the new Helianthus have smaller inflorescences than plantsof the cultivar Table Mountain.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of thenew Helianthus. This photograph shows the colors as true as it isreasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type.Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values citedin the detailed botanical description which accurately describe thecolors of the new Helianthus. The photograph comprises a sideperspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Low Down’ that wasabout six months old.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The followingobservations and measurements describe plants grown in one-galloncontainers in Lancaster, Pa., under conditions which approximate thosegenerally used in container Helianthus production. Plants were grownunder natural season conditions in polyethylene-covered greenhousesduring the summer and fall. During the flowering period, daytemperatures were about 85° F. and night temperatures were about 70 to75° F. Measurements and numerical values represent averages for typicalflowering plants that were about 6 months old.

Botanical classification: Helianthus salicifolius cultivar Low Down.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Helianthus salicifolius cultivar GoldenPyramid, not patented.

Male, or pollen, parent.—Helianthus salicifolius cultivar Autumn Glory,not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 14 days at 20° C. Winter: About 21days at 20° C.

Root description.—Whitish, fine and fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching, dense.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Perennial herbaceous daisy-type container Helianthus.Inverted triangle; upright growth habit and compact plant habit. Stemsinitially upright, then slightly outwardly spreading giving a uniformlymounded appearance to the plant. Freely basal branching with about 30 to35 branches per plant.

Plant height.—About 35 cm.

Plant diameter.—About 39 cm.

Basal branches.—Length: About 35 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Internodelength: About 5 mm. Aspect: Mostly upright. Texture: Pubescent, rough.Color: 146C.

Foliage description.—Leaf arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 7.1 cm.Width: About 4 mm. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate; sessile. Margin:Entire. Texture: Upper surface: Pubescent, rough. Lower surface: Denselypubescent. Color: Young and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: Moregreen than 147A. Young and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 147Cto 147D. Venation, both surfaces: Close to 150D.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Daisy-type inflorescence form with elongated oblong-shapedray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals above the foliage arisingfrom leaf axils. Disk and ray florets arranged acropetally on acapitulum. About four to eight inflorescences per lateral.

Flowering response.—Plants flower under periods of long days/shortnights, typically during the late summer, and continue to flower forabout 2 months.

Inflorescence bud (before showing color).—Length: About 5 mm. Diameter:About 8 mm. Shape: Flattened sphere. Phyllary color: Close to 143A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 6.2 cm. Depth (height): About 1.4cm. Disc diameter: About 1.2 cm. Receptacle diameter: About 7.5 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongate oblong. Length: About 3.1 cm. Corolla tubelength: About 1.5 mm. Width: About 8 mm. Apex: Emarginate. Margin:Entire. Texture: Smooth, satiny. Orientation: Initially upright, thenabout 45° from vertical. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About12 in a single row. Color: When opening, upper surface: 14A. Whenopening, lower surface: 13A. Opened inflorescence, upper surface: 13A;color does not fade with subsequent development. Opened inflorescence,lower surface: 13A to 12A.

Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular with pointed apices. Length: About 5 mm.Width: Apex: About 1.5 mm. Base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets perinflorescence: About 108. Color: Immature: 154A to 11B. Mature: Apex:200A. Mid-section: 11B. Base: Close to 155D.

Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 24 to 26 in two rows.Length: About 7 mm. Width: About 1.5 mm. Shape: Linear with acute apex.Texture: Pubescent, rough. Color, both surfaces: 143A to 146A.

Peduncle.—Aspect: Erect. Strength: Strong, wiry, flexible. Length: Firstpeduncle: About 1.4 cm. Fourth peduncle: About 8 cm. Seventh peduncle:About 1.3 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm. Texture: Pubescent, rough. Color:144A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 15A. Pollen: Scarce. Pollen color: 21A. Gynoecium: Present onboth ray and disc florets.

Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Helianthus have not beenshown to be resistant to pathogens or pests common to Helianthus.

Garden performance: Plants of the new Helianthus have been observed tobe tolerant to rain and wind. Plants of the new Helianthus have beenobserved to tolerate temperatures from about 10 to 20° F. to about 120°F.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Helianthus plant named‘Low Down’, as illustrated and described.